Mary Collins and Stefan Woehlke of Carpe DC Food Tours on Understanding a Place through Food and History

Mary Collins and Stefan Woehlke founded Carpe DC Food Tours as a way to communicate the history and culture of Washington, DC through food. Focusing on the dynamic neighborhoods of Shaw and U Street, the start-up gives tourists and locals a deeper understanding of the streets and people that have made Washington, DC such a creative and fascinating place, rich with arts and literature and often obscured by the federal government’s prominent influence. We sit down with Mary Collins and Stefan Woehlke and delve into some of these stories and get some mouth-watering food descriptions that will make you want to sign up for a food tour in DC or wherever you call home.

Mary Collins and Stefan Woehlke started Carpe DC Food Tours after years of traveling the world, learning about communities through their food and heritage. When they’re not touring or traveling, Stefan is working towards his phD in Archaeology at the University of Maryland, and Mary works for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Carpe DC Food Tours tells the stories of DC’s iconic neighborhoods through food and they are the district’s only one-for one food tour, which means for every ticket purchased they provide food for a day to someone in need through their partnership with Bread for the City.